International
Convicted murderer executed in Mississippi
AFP
A 50-year-old man convicted of murdering his estranged wife and sexually assaulting his step-daughter was executed on Wednesday in the southern US state of Mississippi, local media said.
David Cox, a former truck driver, was put to death by lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.
“I want my children to know that I love them very much and that I was a good man at one time,” Cox said in his last words, according to state department of corrections commissioner Burl Cain, the Clarion Ledger newspaper reported.
“Don’t ever read anything but the King James bible. I want to thank the commissioner for being so very kind to me. And that’s all I got to say,” Cox reportedly said.
In 2009, Cox’s wife Kim Cox told police that Cox had sexually assaulted her daughter from a previous relationship.
Cox spent nine months in prison before being released on bond.
After his release, he bought a handgun and broke into a home where Kim Cox was staying with their two young sons and her daughter.
After shooting his estranged wife, Cox sexually assaulted his then 12-year-old step-daughter in front of her dying mother.
Cox was sentenced to death in 2012 after pleading guilty to murder, sexual assault and other charges.
Three years ago, Cox began writing to the courts to ask that his lawyers, who were seeking to halt his execution, be fired and that his execution be allowed to go ahead.
In one letter, he described himself as a “guilty man worthy of death.”
In another, he asked a judge to set a date to “execute my body for crimes of in which I did committ (sic) in premeditation, anger and joy.”
The Mississippi Supreme Court agreed with evaluations that Cox was mentally competent and a date was set for his execution.
Kim Cox’s daughter told the Daily Journal newspaper that she intended to attend the execution.
Cox was the 10th person executed in the United States this year and the first since 2012 in Mississippi.
The state has faced difficulties for several years in obtaining the drugs used to carry out executions by lethal injection.
Many pharmaceutical laboratories refuse to sell the products to US states that intend to use them for capital punishment.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
Analyst warns of cracks in Nicaragua’s inner circle as Ortega prepares succession
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America4 days agoGuatemalan police regain control of prisons after gang riots leave one guard dead
-
International4 days agoErin weakens to Category 3 after rapid intensification to Category 5
-
International3 days agoNYPD declares suspicious Times Square package safe after investigation
-
International5 days agoEx-Pemex director linked to Odebrecht scandal detained in Texas, faces trial in Mexico
-
International2 days agoPeruvian woman arrested in Bali for smuggling cocaine in sex toy
-
International2 days agoTrump says Russia open to security guarantees for Ukraine amid peace talks
-
International2 days agoCuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
-
International5 days agoResidente to perform free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo on september 6
-
International3 days agoTexas opens major migrant detention center amid civil rights protests
-
International1 day ago
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
-
Central America1 day agoAnalyst warns of cracks in Nicaragua’s inner circle as Ortega prepares succession
-
International3 days agoThree arrested in Dubai hours after $25 million pink diamond theft
-
Sin categoría3 days ago
Zelensky meets Trump with European leaders amid peace deal tensions
-
International2 days agoFinnish MP Eemeli Peltonen dies at 30 in Parliament building
-
International1 day agoThree U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking